On Gwyn’s ninth birthday, his grandmother tells him he may be a magician, like his Welsh ancestors. She gives him five gifts to help him—a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. One blustery day, unsure what to do with his newfound magic, Gwyn throws the brooch to the wind and receives a silvery snow spider in return. Will he be able to use this special spider to bring his missing sister, Bethan, home? The Snow Spider spins an icy, sparkly web of mystical intrigue that sets the stage for the next two books in this outstanding trilogy!
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Quotes & Awards

“Keating’s reading of the tale is flawless. He easily ranges from the boy’s excitement and anticipation to the wavery voice of his eccentric grandmother…[Keating’s] mastery may well convince readers that this fictional world is real.”

“From the opening music to the first note of narrator John Keating’s beautifully accented voice, the listener is transported to the Welsh countryside…With narration like this, it is as if John Keating were himself the snow spider, spinning richness into Jenny Nimmo’s tale.”

AudioFile

“Nimmo weaves elements of Welsh folklore into a story that combines magical elements with a realistic modern setting…[An] adventure story with likable characters that are deftly, succinctly portrayed.”

Booklist

“Harry Potter fans have reason to rejoice. A new young magician has arrived from the UK with exciting adventures…Beautifully written.”

Children’s Literature

Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award

Listener Opinions

by Kristin Redmond | 2/18/2014

" I finished this on audio so I think I will try the next. A childrens fantasy/magic takes place in Wales. Gwyn a 9 year old learns on his birthday he may be a magician. "

by Sara | 2/17/2014

" This book was great!!!! I liked it because it was so adventurous!!! "

by Cat McNeece | 2/15/2014

" This is just the only best spider ever! "

by Thebruce1314 | 2/15/2014

" I originally picked up this book because I enjoyed the Charlie Bone books. The Snow Spider is pretty similar in style and storyline to Nimmo's more popular series. It follows the story of a boy in Wales who discovers that he has magical powers which manifest themselves through five items that his grandmother gives him for his birthday. It was a quick, easy read, but fairly predictable. Nothing earth-shattering happens, but it was a good read. "

" Written nearly a decade before Harry Potter appeared on the scene, the Magician Trilogy remains fresh and interesting, rich with Welsh history and complex, appealing characters. Nimmo fits tremendous stories into small books. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys flat-out great stories. "

Shar | 2/12/2014

" I didn't like this series half as much as the Charlie Bone books but they were okay. "

Raymond | 1/31/2014

" To my this book was kind of confusing. I really didnt get the point. "

08kassadyw | 1/28/2014

" i liked this book, But it was kinda confusing at first. When i got in the middle of the book it got really good "

Nina | 1/18/2014

" young adult, my son and I read this...great "

Catherine | 12/28/2013

" I listened to the audio book version and was totally captivated by the reader's Welsh accent. It completely lended itself to this story and was one of the main reasons I so enjoyed this story. "

Kandyce Barber | 12/8/2013

" Good, magical adventure. First in the series. Audio version - great. "

Frankie | 12/4/2013

" This is perhaps the best YA novel I've ever read... the writing is precise and poetic, the story is simple and moving, and Nimmo manages to both entertain and move readers young and old alike with a story of magic and loss. The audio was excellent and I would recommend this to anyone. A great read! "

Sheila | 10/27/2013

" Wow! What a good story. I was caught up in early on and did not want to leave Gwyn's world. Gwyn is a good character. He has to learn to make choices. Sometimes his choices are not the best but he does try to fix what he has done wrong. I have to get the rest of the trilogy now. "

Beccie | 10/13/2013

" An alright read but not one that really grabbed my attention "

Jane Matthews | 8/4/2013

" I must seem to have a very low reading age but these are the books that I come across through work and they are lovely children's books...after all, we're all happy to read Harry Potter!! "

Amanda | 7/20/2013

" MUST FIND THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES!!!! "

Debra | 5/30/2013

" An interesting book. It was a quick read. It was a little strange, and simple, but some things just didn't feel smooth to me. I'm not sure I'll read the whole triligy. (lame review, but there you have it). "

Ian | 4/11/2013

" I first read this back in 1991 or so. Now I'm re-reading it! "

Tessie | 4/5/2013

" I read this book for the battle of the books. I like it. It was good. You should read this book if you like exciting books. "

Kitty | 2/7/2013

" The beginning is a bit to ambiguous. Hard for kids to figure out what is happening, but it gets better. "

Marcus L | 11/24/2012

" I think this book is a good book because I am more interested in these types of genre, I usually like magic, adventure, mystery so I really enjoy reading this book and I think most of the boys and girls will like it. "

Emily | 11/15/2012

" It was such a great book "

Heather | 11/13/2012

" Listened to it on CD on our trip. It's a fine story, but I always felt like I was two steps ahead of the plot. That's probably because the target audience is 10 year olds, though. "

Tracy | 9/23/2012

" Kids would probably give this a higher rating, I will update when my 4th grader finishes! "

Chelsea | 2/3/2012

" Not nearly as good as the Charlie bone series. I'm only going to finish the trilogy because i started it. this may be more enjoyable for younger readers. "

Rose | 10/12/2011

" really good,the names are hard to read because it takes place in whales. "

KC | 8/20/2011

" Loved this as a kid but not as good as I remembered reading as an adult. Still lovely ideas and well written, just wish there was more below the surface. "

Sarah | 3/7/2011

" Cute book. Similar to Harry Potter in that the boy is "chosen" for magic in his family which is encouraged by his odd grandma. "

Debra | 2/24/2011

" An interesting book. It was a quick read. It was a little strange, and simple, but some things just didn't feel smooth to me. I'm not sure I'll read the whole triligy. (lame review, but there you have it).
"

Marcus | 2/8/2011

" I think this book is a good book because I am more interested in these types of genre, I usually like magic, adventure, mystery so I really enjoy reading this book and I think most of the boys and girls will like it.
"

Cat | 1/31/2011

" This is just the only best spider ever!
"

Linda | 12/2/2010

" I'm hooked. Need to read the next two books in the trilogy.
"

Meredith | 11/12/2010

" This was a very neat story. I can't wait to read the next one.
"

Sonja | 10/25/2010

" Anthon love, loved this book. We loved the Charlie Bone series, so decided to check this one out as well. It has a nice lyrical type prose and a unique spin on the classic good vs evil. Anthon can't wait to read the next one, which I just got from the library for him today.
"

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